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2024 Holiday Poem - 12/24/24


I sometimes hear it said That things have never been like this before. That challenges are unique, That stresses seem like more.   I sometimes hear it said That we're asked to do much more with less. That workloads are increasing, And we're resource-constrained at best.   And others often say That things are really very good. That they enjoy those Read more

Is Their Poor Planning Your Emergency? - 12/17/24


Have you ever heard the saying:  Your poor planning is not my emergency. I’ve heard it said often – not necessarily directly from one person to another.  More typical is that I hear it from the person having to drop everything and do something immediately because someone else didn’t think Read more

Empathy Examples for Everyday Situations - 12/10/24


I’ve often said that empathy is the single most important characteristic of people who are great at customer service.  If empathy is essentially “to understand the other person,” it helps so much to have that ability in order to specifically help someone.  To talk to what’s unique about them.  Read more

Tell Them Why You’re Giving Thanks - 12/3/24


Thank you! Merci! Danke! Doumo! Gracias! It seems like every language has a translation of Thank You.  Even though I only fluently speak English and speak Spanish, un poco, I – and probably most of you – have heard some or all of the translations of "Thank You” noted above.  Read more

Refine Your Decision-making Process - 11/26/24


Every day, you make decisions of what to do and what not to do.  And in the world of customer service, often the affected parties are our customers, our co-workers, and our company.  Here are a few quotes to consider when you’re thinking about evaluating and refining your decision-making Read more

Acting on the Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service - 11/19/24


In last week’s tip, we shared 5 Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service.  This week, let’s address what “taking action” looks like on those key principles.  If last week was about what to do and WHY, this week is about the HOW. Engage with Interest: To engage with interest, proactively Read more

Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service - 11/12/24


It’s hard to know every procedure, every policy, every technique possible to handle every situation correctly.  After all, maybe our procedures are standard, but our customers are not.  Maybe our policies stay pretty consistent, but our customers’ needs and issues, their attitudes and actions can change from customer to Read more

From a Simple Question to an Exceptional Experience - 11/5/24


Phyllis loves her job.  It’s not just because she loves being a customer service representative, not just because she really likes her co-workers, and not just because she enjoys her company.  It’s because she really appreciates her customers, as well. A customer had ordered a register book off the company Read more

Fix One Problem without Creating Another - 10/29/24


If you’ve ever had an issue with your dishwasher, this will sound familiar.  I’ve dealt with so many dishwashers over the years, and they always seem to have some kind of an issue.  Maybe it’s because of the mix of water and technology, but for whatever reason, these never Read more

Delight Your Customers - 10/22/24


Buddy the Bug Man was different.  His company was new, and the only reason why Janet tried him out was that the service she had used for years just wasn’t working.  Whether it was mosquitoes in the yard, ants in the kitchen, or cockroaches flying through on their way Read more

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Lessons from the Greats – 3/5/24

Posted on March 5, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

I was recently facilitating a workshop on the customer experience, and I made the point that it’s usually beneficial to look at your personal life for great experiences; identify what really resonates with you in a positive way in order to uncover ideas to improve your own customer service.

So, I asked the participants:  What companies are great at customer service? What organizations deliver an excellent customer experience?

There were a lot of the usual companies named such as Chick-fil-A, Disney, Trader Joe’s, and some local grocery store chains, as well.

Then the key question was asked:  What makes them great?

Answers dealt with making a great first impression – with the greeting or the welcome.  There were comments about the short wait times or at least the perception of short waits.  They talked about how consistently high quality the service was, the people were, the experience was for the average customer.  And they talked about predictability.

Predictability is not something often talked about during discussions of great customer service.  There’s so much discussion in the customer service world about delighting customers, the Wow Experience (that surprisingly wonderful and unexpected experience), that we forget that most customers want some predictability.

They want to know that they’re going to be treated with respect.  They want the process to be quick, simple, self-evident.  And they want an experience that is consistent with examples of great service they’ve had in the past.

Predictability isn’t boring.  However, it is difficult.  That means that regardless of what employee or what process, your company has its own way of addressing the customer need, finding a solution, and having the most positive engagement possible.

The next time you’re looking for ways to improve, look at organizations that you consider to be great at customer service.  Identify those actions they do consistently well, those things that are predictable.  Then, find ways to make your engagement as consistent and positive as possible.

Engage like the titans of customer service – be predictably great!

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The Empathy Roadmap – 2/27/24

Posted on February 27, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

For some people, empathy comes naturally.  There’s an innate desire to learn about the other person and to sincerely convey that sense of interest and caring.  But for many of us, sometimes it helps to have a communication plan.  It helps to know what to do in order to help your customer or your co-worker truly understand how much you care.  It helps to have an Empathy Roadmap:

  • Ask for Information – It’s difficult to convey understanding unless you truly understand. Ask enough questions to understand what’s unique about the individual and their particular situation.  Simply assuming what they want can send you down the wrong service path.
  • Listen to What They Say and How They Say It – When they’re talking, be attentive – as if they’re the most important person in the world to you at that moment. Listen to their words and note their body language, expressions, gestures, and tone of voice.  Two customers can say “Are you ready for me, yet?” in two totally different tones, conveying two very different messages.
  • Learn Their Perspective – Their issue or need may be the same as 10 other customers you’ve helped, but what that issue means to them could be different. Seek to understand “the why” behind their issue – why it’s important to them, why it caused them to contact you, why they want it addressed.  Determine their unique “why.”
  • Confirm Your Understanding – One of the best ways to convey empathy is to restate your understanding of their need and situation to them. This suggests you cared enough to listen and understand.

 
Follow the empathy roadmap to help the customer feel like you truly care.

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“You’re the Boss” – 2/20/24

Posted on February 20, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Terrence is excellent at what he does.  From a technical standpoint, he knows how to keep the facility clean.  He’s the lead custodian, and he knows that keeping things straight does not necessarily mean keeping things sanitary.  He knows what chemicals to use and not to use, how to make sure the floors get cleaned and waxed properly.  He knows when to hit the bathrooms, when to address the office spaces.

Although Terrence works in an office setting, the way his company is structured, he actually reports to managers in the corporate housekeeping department in a different location.

He was meeting with his facility office manager one day, and she was making a special request.  He responded:  Sure thing!  You’re the boss.

When it comes to Terrence’s specific job, she is not the boss.  He directly reports to the person with the hiring/firing authority – the person in the corporate office.  Terrence knows this, but in his mind, he treats the office manager like she’s the boss, too.

She is the ultimate customer.  She is the one that is trying to manage this facility, create the kind of culture she’s searching for with the staff.  She’s the one that’s trying to help the business become even higher performing.

And Terrence understands that his job is to increase his customer’s likelihood of success.

To Terrence, it’s a mindset and an understanding that the customer, in the end, is the true boss.

Reflect on the mindset that you bring into conversations with the customers.  The customers are the ones that you are ultimately doing your work for, the ones that you are trying to help succeed, the ones to whom you’re trying to provide a great customer experience.

Foster a mindset that’s a motivator to deliver a great experience to the ultimate customer.

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